Director Business Development

About HENSOLDT

HENSOLDT is a leading European defence and security technology company with a global reach. Headquartered in Taufkirchen near Munich, we develop advanced radar, optronics, electronic warfare and sensor solutions that help customers detect threats and make informed operational decisions.

Our expertise extends from individual sensors to platform-independent, networked systems, supported by system integration and services throughout the equipment lifecycle. With around 10,000 employees and an international presence spanning Germany, France, the United Kingdom, South Africa and other markets, we bring together specialist knowledge from across the Group.

HENSOLDT generated revenue of €2.46 billion in 2025 and is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange as a constituent of the MDAX.

Why join us?

At HENSOLDT, you will work on technologies that serve a clear purpose: helping protect people and strengthening defence and security capabilities.

As Director Business Development for India, you will help shape our business by understanding customer needs, developing industrial partnerships and creating opportunities for our Land and Naval portfolios. The role offers direct engagement with the Indian defence ecosystem and close collaboration with colleagues across our international business units.

We value initiative, sound judgement and people who work well together. You will bring your experience to challenging programmes, contribute to decisions that shape future business, and have opportunities to broaden your expertise through international collaboration and professional development.

Role Purpose & Mandate

Develop HENSOLDT’s long-term business in India, primarily across the Land and Naval portfolios, with other portfolio areas as assigned. Turn Indian customers’ capability needs into qualified leads and opportunities, strategic partnerships and practical localisation plans.

Take responsibility for lead and opportunity development, qualification, customer positioning and partnership strategy. Build trusted relationships with the Indian Armed Forces, government and defence industry. Work closely with HENSOLDT business units in Europe and South Africa to align customer needs with the Group’s technology, product and industrial capabilities, supporting customer engagement and strategic positioning throughout each pursuit.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Market strategy and opportunity development

Develop and implement portfolio business development plans that reflect India regional priorities and the objectives of the relevant HENSOLDT business units.

Identify operational needs, modernisation programs and opportunities for new platforms, upgrades and sustainment. Engage customers early, where appropriate, to understand requirements before formal tendering.

Maintain a prioritised pipeline with a clear development plan for each opportunity, based on customer need, technical fit, procurement route, funding outlook and competitive position

Armed Forces and institutional engagement

Build lasting professional relationships with Indian Armed Forces stakeholders, including Service Headquarters, user directorates and acquisition authorities, as well as the Ministry of Defence, DRDO and other customer organisations.

Understand operational concepts, capability gaps and service requirements, and use these insights to guide HENSOLDT’s product and solution teams.

Arrange capability discussions, technical workshops, demonstrations and evaluation planning with customers and internal specialists. Develop relationships at different institutional and working levels that remain strong as personnel change.

Procurement strategy and program qualification

Recommend viable routes to market based on applicable acquisition procedures, procurement categories, indigenous content requirements, approval and evaluation stages, and programme timelines.

Track programs from requirement definition and Requests for Information through procurement approvals, Requests for Proposals and evaluation milestones. Flag eligibility, partnership, localisation and export-control dependencies early.

Assess opportunities, prepare business cases and recommend pursuit priorities. Use customer, competitor and procurement insights to inform capture and bid decisions.

Industrial partnerships and localisation

Develop relationships with defence public sector undertakings, private primes, shipyards, platform manufacturers, system integrators, technology companies and relevant MSMEs.

Build partnership proposals around customer needs, partner capabilities and programme economics, recommending suitable models for teaming, joint development, licensed production or other forms of cooperation.

Work with business units, Engineering, Operations, Procurement and Legal to develop workable localisation plans covering Indian workshare, manufacturing, integration, testing, intellectual property, technology transfer where feasible, and through-life support.

Coordinate partner assessments and due diligence, agree responsibilities and dependencies, and secure the required internal approvals before making external commitments.

Group collaboration and transition to capture

Use Indian market requirements to inform Group portfolio strategy, product roadmaps, investment priorities and solution development.

Coordinate colleagues across business units and functions to deliver agreed opportunity development plans, customer engagements and partnership activities.

Hand over the qualified opportunities to Sales and Capture Management with a clear account of the customer need, stakeholder map, procurement route, competitive position, proposed solution, partnership approach, risks and next steps.

Business development governance

Keep opportunity and stakeholder records current, track development milestones and report progress. Recommend where to allocate resources and which opportunities to advance, defer or discontinue.

Act with integrity and sound judgement. Uphold procurement probity, protect confidential information and comply with anti-bribery, security, export-control and company requirements.

Candidate profile

Substantial experience in military capability development, defence acquisition or defence industry business development, including responsibility for complex programmes or strategic partnerships.

An established professional network within the Indian Armed Forces and defence ecosystem, with the credibility to engage senior leaders, operational users and technical stakeholders.

Practical knowledge of the applicable Defence Acquisition Procedure, Defence Procurement Manual and customer-specific processes, including procurement stages, acquisition categories and indigenous content provisions.

A sound understanding of Indian defence primes, public sector undertakings, shipyards, research organisations and supplier networks, including localisation and industrial cooperation models.

Technical understanding of defence electronics and the ability to relate operational needs to radar, optronics, electronic warfare, surveillance and integrated land and naval solutions.

A track record of turning customer access into qualified opportunities: establishing the need, assessing feasibility, building partnerships and reaching measurable programme-development milestones.

Willingness to travel extensively within India and internationally as required

Personal Attributes

Influence effectively across teams, suppliers and customers, securing clear commitments and follow-through without direct line authority.

Communicate clearly and confidently in written and spoken English, including with senior government, military and board-level audiences.

Work comfortably across German and Indian working styles and wider international teams, adapting to differences in process, hierarchy and pace.

Understand contract terms, manage negotiations and recognise the financial drivers of programme performance.

Make sound decisions with incomplete information and explain the reasoning behind them.

Strong analytical skills and the ability to prepare clear, well-founded business cases.

Escalate issues early, with practical options and clear recommendations.

Preferred background

Education

A degree in engineering, science, defence studies, business or a related discipline, or an equivalent recognised military or professional qualification.

Experience

Retired Indian Army officers with at least 15 years of service and relevant operational, engineering, capability-development or acquisition experience. Army backgrounds in the Corps of Signals, Mechanised Forces, Army Design Bureau assignments or Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers are particularly relevant.

For retired officers, at least two years of post-retirement corporate experience, preferably in defence-sector business development, is desirable. Defence-industry candidates demonstrating equivalent capability and customer understanding are also encouraged.

Experience with land or naval electronics programmes, industrial partnerships, technology transfer, localisation, supplier development or lifecycle support.

In case you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact our Recruiting Team: [email protected]

Find out more about HENSOLDT and our jobs: www.hensoldt.net/career